Hunters of game, and particularly deer hunters using bows and arrows, need to know not only where the game travels but also its traveling habits in regard to time. While some game may be stalked with guns or rifles, the hunter using limited range weapons such as a bow and arrow, generally has to wait for the game to come to him.
An effective method of hunting deer with bow and arrows is to take a position, generally elevated in a tree, along a path known to be traveled by the deer. Unfortunately, the deer season is usually during cold weather. Since long waits are not uncommon, the sport tends to be extremely uncomfortable at best, and almost impossible if the hunter is not fortunate in finding the game quickly. When the deer hunter takes his position ten or twenty feet in the air, even with the best equipment, it is not possible for him to resist the coldest weather for more than a few hours. Placed in that position, he must remain absolutely still for fear of being seen by the deer. In his unshielded position, the sport can be extremely unrewarding unless the hunter's timing is right.
It is therefore imperative that the hunter not only know where the deer pass, but also at what time of the day they pass a particular position. Prior to the invention of my device, the timing of the hunter depended upon mere guesswork or clues located along the trail. Deer are creatures of habit and tend to follow the same trail at approximately the same time each day. Prior to my invention, it was essentially impossible to know when a deer passed a particular point. Since the hunter did not know the deer's starting point, knowledge of deer habits was of little value. If the deer started close to the stake-out point, he might pass there early in the morning. Conversely, if he started very far from this stake-out point, he might not arrive there until evening. In general, the deer hunter with the bow and arrow had to rely on his guesswork.
The difficulties described above with respect to hunting deer are typical problems encountered with other game, including bear and turkey. The signs at the location will readily tell the hunter what type of animal passed that point.
In addition, it is of great interest to naturalists to study the habits of animals. While devices have been developed for studying animals in captivity, there is a great need for devices to study the time related habits of animals in the wild. There is a particular need to provide devices which will not upset the natural habits of game, but yet allow detailed and accurate study of their time related habits.
Devices to study animals have been developed, including U.S. Pat. No. 3,304,911, to Hiroshi Hakatta et al., which describes an apparatus for automatically measuring the movement of an animal, within a defined area using an electric eye system. U.S. Pat. No. 3,100,473 to J. W. Kissel, describes an apparatus for measuring animal activity within a movable, cylindrical container. U.S. Pat. No. 2,663,282 to Ingle, describes a fatigue machine for rats.
Timing devices have been developed such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 631,034 to Bielitz, illustrating a time check for doors, and U.S. Pat. No. 1,626,620 to Mentzer, describing an automatic race-track timing device. Other timing devices include stopwatch type devices as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,723,675 to Richey, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,986,683 and 3,168,690 to M. J. Lavet, et al. which together describe battery powered clocks or timers.
None of the prior art described hereinabove satisfies the needs of determining the time related habits of animals in the wild.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide means for determining the traveling habits of animals in the wild without interfering with their natural activities.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a device which will allow the determination of the exact time that an animal passes a particular location in it natural habitat.
It is an additional object of this invention to provide a device which will allow a hunter to determine the exact time of day that game have previously traveled past a particular point in the wild.
It is a more specific object of this invention to provide a device to aid bow and arrow deer hunters in determining a suitable location to wait for the approach of the deer.